Jakarta – Balinese sculptors have achieved remarkable success at the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Competition 2025. The group of artists from Himpunan Seniman Pecatu (HSP) and Bali Talent Artis (BTA) won the ‘Commemorative Prize.’
The Harbin International Snow Sculpture Competition is a prestigious event held in Harbin, China, from January 6–9, 2025. Led by I Nyoman Sungada, the Balinese team competed against 26 artist teams from various countries.
“Astungkara, we managed to perform at our best,” said Sungada on Friday (January 17, 2025).
Sungada explained that the snow sculpture they worked on during the competition was based on the theme Tri Guna. According to Balinese Hindu philosophy, Tri Guna represents the three natural qualities influencing human thoughts: sattwam (goodness, wisdom), rajas (passion, ambition), and tamas (laziness, passivity).
This concept was applied to the sculpture through three distinct faces. For instance, the sattwam face was designed to depict calmness, sincerity, and wisdom. Meanwhile, the rajas face showcased aggressive and ambitious expressions, and the tamas face represented lethargy. The sculpture was created with the signature style of Balinese art.

The 4-meter-tall sculpture was crafted using a 3×3 meter block of snow and completed in Harbin within 3.5 days. Sungada and his team worked in freezing temperatures as low as -26 degrees Celsius to finish the piece.
“The weather was extremely cold, and some of our team members were not accustomed to it. But thankfully, the results were satisfying,” said Sungada.
Sungada was accompanied by other Balinese artists, including I Wayan Mardina, Gede Agus Kurniawan, and I Ketut Suaryana, for the international competition in China.
Before heading to China, the team prepared for 2.5 months in Bali. Efforts to secure sponsorships for their trip were unsuccessful, so they decided to fund the journey using their own money. This forced a reshuffling of the initial team.
“Due to limited funds, we chose a team willing to finance their trip. We traveled with great enthusiasm, despite using our personal savings,” said Sungada, who hails from Pecatu Village, South Kuta.
Sungada and HSP have participated in the snow sculpture competition eight times, including five events in Sapporo and Nayoro, Japan. They have earned multiple international accolades, including four third-place awards, best skills, best creative, special prize, and favorite sculptor.
Sungada hopes that both the government and private sector can provide support for Balinese artists to compete on international stages. “Greater support would significantly help sustain our arts and culture globally,” he concluded.